Adam Lindgreen, Michael Antioco and Martin Wetzels
The Internet is changing the way that companies carry out their business and, in fact, constitutes an entirely new application domain, which makes product innovation possible…
Abstract
The Internet is changing the way that companies carry out their business and, in fact, constitutes an entirely new application domain, which makes product innovation possible. Moreover, it is a new medium for reaching consumers, which is a central preoccupation to organisations in the current business market. Here interest lies in video chatting on the Internet. This is a type of service that adds video support to chatting using a Web cam and is gradually attracting more Internet users. The paper consists of a market feasibility study evaluating the potential commercialisation of a software program that enables the “cutting away” of the chatters from the original background filmed by the Web cam, and later re‐integrates them into a new background. The software program could, therefore, be interesting for advertising companies.
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Chantal de Moerloose, Michael Antioco, Adam Lindgreen and Roger Palmer
The article aims to focus on how information technology allows firms to deliver services by means of information kiosks.
Abstract
Purpose
The article aims to focus on how information technology allows firms to deliver services by means of information kiosks.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 22 exploratory in‐depth interviews were conducted with key informants in the retail and other sectors, in primarily Belgium or France. Subsequently, 14 hypotheses were developed that were tested by means of two exploratory surveys, one with 84 customers and one with nine retailers.
Findings
The findings suggest that information kiosks can be implemented successfully with up to three easy‐to‐use kiosks at the entrance of the mall or inside the store and, if retailers allow, internet access to a limited number of web sites. Retailers must keep their information centrally updated and relevant, and customers are not interested in ordering all kinds of products and services.
Research limitations/implications
The study is limited by the number of respondents, both customers and retailers, and the way that the sample was taken across three different locations may not be truly representative.
Practical implications
The managerial implications are discussed in terms of advantages and disadvantages vis‐à‐vis the customers and the retailers. What customers want from an information kiosk should be examined so that an appropriate balance is struck between being customer‐ and technology‐led. It is also possible to look at ways that allow firms to communicate with their customers using automatic speech recognition and verification by voice.
Originality/value
Success factors for implementation of information kiosks have not previously been identified in the literature.
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Adam Lindgreen, Roger Palmer, Martin Wetzels and Michael Antioco
The literature discusses the relationship between marketing practice and leadership style and suggests that these are dynamic and linked. Providing empirical data, this paper…
Abstract
Purpose
The literature discusses the relationship between marketing practice and leadership style and suggests that these are dynamic and linked. Providing empirical data, this paper seeks to investigate this relationship between marketing practices and leadership styles.
Design/methodology/approach
A model was developed and tested using a survey methodology based on two well‐validated research instruments, one from the Contemporary Marketing Practices research group and the other the MLQ leadership questionnaire. Data were analyzed using a Partial Least Squares (PLS) approach.
Findings
The results showed that a transformational style of leadership is positively associated with interaction and network marketing. Transactional leadership is positively associated with database and network marketing. Passive/avoidant leadership has no effect on any of the marketing practices.
Research limitations/implications
The research is unique and exploratory, and was conducted in a UK context. The use of moderators within the model would have been preferable. For these reasons, generalizability is somewhat constrained.
Practical implications
The research adds weight to the argument that leadership styles need to be consciously adapted with respect to marketing practices. There are also implications for managerial training and development needs.
Originality/value
To one's knowledge very few studies have considered the relationship between marketing practices and leadership styles. The paper, therefore, reports work in an area not previously researched empirically.
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Adam Lindgreen and Michael Antioco
To convert the principle of customer relationship management (CRM) into practical guidelines for best practice in the implementation of a CRM programme in the real world.
Abstract
Purpose
To convert the principle of customer relationship management (CRM) into practical guidelines for best practice in the implementation of a CRM programme in the real world.
Design/methodology/approach
The findings of an extensive review of the literature provide the foundations for a general CRM paradigm, which is applied to a case study of a large European bank's specification, development and implementation of CRM over a five‐year period. Data for the case study were collected in 1‐2 h long depth interviews with executives of the bank and a consultancy firm collaborating in the design of the programme, and were analysed by a formal coding procedure.
Findings
The design and implementation phases of CRM programme development are described in detail, the latter organised into 18 initiatives in five categories: testing, founding, building doing and ongoing.
Research limitations/implications
Because of the stage of development of the bank's programme at the time of writing, it was not possible to report meaningfully on an obvious sixth phase: evaluation. The paper considers shortcomings of CRM implementation and proposes avenues for further research.
Practical implications
A shortage of practically grounded templates for the design and implementation of CRM programmes has left marketing managers struggling to apply the widely advocated principle to their own situations. By adding empirical evidence to prescriptions for best practice, this paper begins the process of bridging that gap between theory and practice.
Originality/value
The unique case study reported here will therefore be of definite interest and potential value to managers responsible for developing market intelligence into formal plans for a CRM strategy, beyond the specific context of financial services.
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Adam Lindgreen, Michael Antioco, Roger Palmer and Tim van Heesch
During the industrial purchasing process of high‐tech, innovative products, various decision‐influencers within buying companies evaluate the attractiveness of the manufacturer's…
Abstract
Purpose
During the industrial purchasing process of high‐tech, innovative products, various decision‐influencers within buying companies evaluate the attractiveness of the manufacturer's market offering; namely the “value” of the offering. This paper aims to identify the various tangible and intangible value elements requested by the business customer, and the stage(s) of the purchasing process in which these value considerations take place.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper develops a framework that will effectively guide manufacturers of high‐tech, innovative products to market, and customize, their offer throughout the different stages of prospective business customers' purchasing process.
Findings
The findings, derived from in‐depth interviews, demonstrate that manufacturers should focus on distinctive product‐, service‐, and supplier‐related value elements, and that the particular elements depend on the different decision‐influencers, as well as the different stages of the purchasing process.
Originality/value
The paper discusses some avenues for future research in the marketing of high‐tech products.
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Michael Antioco and Mirella Kleijnen
This study seeks to investigate barriers in the consumer adoption process of technological innovations under different contingencies. The paper aims to focus on barriers impeding…
Abstract
Purpose
This study seeks to investigate barriers in the consumer adoption process of technological innovations under different contingencies. The paper aims to focus on barriers impeding adoption of technologies characterized by high incompatibility and high uncertainty – i.e. a “lack of content” (LoC) situation – versus technologies characterized by low incompatibility and low uncertainty – i.e. a “presence of content” (PoC) situation.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a literature study, the paper develops hypotheses that distinguish the diverging effects of both psychological and functional barriers on consumer adoption in different situations (LoC versus PoC). Data were collected by means of a survey, resulting in an effective sample of 229 respondents.
Findings
In the case of LoC, the value, risk (financial and performance) and image barrier are negatively related to adoption intention, where the latter barrier is significantly stronger for the LoC situation than for the PoC situation. For PoC, it is found that the value, image, and financial risk barriers are negatively related to adoption intention, where the value barrier outweighs all other barriers. Interestingly, the traditional barrier reveals a positive effect on adoption intention.
Practical implications
The results suggest that managers and retailers should develop a more sophisticated understanding of consumers' adoption intention of new technologies. Distinguishing between LoC and PoC situations offers managers the opportunity to differentiate their communication strategies and design more compelling ways for consumers to overcome the specific barriers they perceive in each situation.
Originality/value
The paper attempts to offer a more fine‐grained understanding of consumer adoption by investigating the extent to which the lack versus the presence of content gives rise to differences regarding the effects of psychological and functional barriers to technology adoption.
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Adam Lindgreen, Balázs Révész and Mark Glynn
The purpose of this article is to provide a brief summary of all the articles in this special issue.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to provide a brief summary of all the articles in this special issue.
Design/methodology/approach
Briefly discusses each article in this special issue.
Findings
This special issue of Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing aims to understand in greater depth both business‐to‐business purchasing and various types of buyer‐seller relationships. The authors selected 14 articles that provide an in‐depth understanding of the critical issues involved in purchasing orientations.
Originality/value
The article highlights how the papers in the special issue seek to understand in greater depth both business‐to‐business purchasing and various types of buyer‐seller relationships.
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